Souhardya De

Souhardya De (born 9 January 2004) is an Indian writer, columnist, and podcaster from Midnapore, West Bengal.^[1][2] He is a recipient of the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, a civilian award for Indian citizens under the age of 18, in 2021.^[3] He is a Think Big scholar at the University of Bristol and a Don Lavoie Fellow in political economy at the Mercatus Center.^[4]

Souhardya De
De at an event in 2020
Born	(2004-01-09) 9 January 2004 (age 21) Midnapore, West Bengal
Nationality	Indian
Education	Vidyasagar Shishu Niketan (CISCE affiliation) University of Cambridge University of Bristol
Occupation(s)	Author, columnist and podcaster
Honours	Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2021
Website	www.souhardyade.co.in

Personal life

De pursued high school studies at the Vidyasagar Shishu Niketan in Midnapore, West Bengal, graduating in July, 2022.^[5][6][7] He did an undergraduate certificate in History from the University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education with a bursary.^[8][9] Later, he was awarded a Think Big scholarship for his undergraduate education in History at the University of Bristol, where he also worked as a student fundraiser.^[10][11]

His father, Shakti Prasad De, is a professor in the faculty of history at Midnapore College and his mother, Jayati De, is a teacher at a government school in West Bengal.^[12]

Career

He was a columnist for the Sunday Guardian^[13] and a podcaster, hosting a show called Cosmographia: The Graeco Romans, the Egyptians and Us.^[13] In 2021, Souhardya was one of the recipients of the PM-YUVA Fellowship, a stipend for young authors writing about the Indian independence movement, announced by the Ministry of Education.^[14] His book Pratap Jung: The Ultimate Sacrifice was published by the National Book Trust as part of the PM-YUVA series in 2023.^[15]

Bibliography

• 2017 - Scion Of Suryavansh: The Ramayana in English (Poetry). Self Published. 2017. ISBN 9781545262658.
• 2019 - The Chronicles of Suryavansh: The Rise and Fall of the Suryavanshis. Self Published. 2019. ISBN 9781797920498.
• 2023 - Pratap Jung: The Ultimate Sacrifice. PM-YUVA Series. National Book Trust. 2023. ISBN 978-93-549-1489-8.

Honours and awards

• Inducted to the Science Olympiad Foundation Hall of Fame in 2019.^[16]
• Nominated for the 2020 International Children's Peace Prize from the KidsRights Foundation in Amsterdam, for his educational philanthropy.^[17]
• Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India in 2021.^[3]